Tag Archives: movies: watchmen

Sep 21 2009

Being a Female Fan

I’ve been reading Newsrama’s Fangirl Invasion series (part 1, part 2, part 3) recently and it has got me thinking about being a fan, who happens to be female, of geeky things in Singapore.

Firstly, it’s not terribly easy to find other females in real life who share the same interests as you or who want to talk about the same things as you. For me, it’s poor JK who has to listen to me squee about Merlin, grumble about Smallville, ramble about Spiderman and OMD/BND and how I quite like the new Batman and brag about how far I have gotten in Disgaea. Add to the fact that I’m not a naturally sociable person, it makes finding someone that little bit more difficult. Heck, I can’t even find people who watch Smallville (and want to discuss how they have made a mockery of the Superman mythos) in real life.

Secondly, some males who discover that you, a female, like comics and/or video games tend to want to test you on what you know. I don’t know why, to see how hardcore you are? I’ve met people who upon hearing I own a PS3 insist on grilling me on various games just to see how much I know. It’s like they are trying to gauge if I am a True Fan. If I don’t know enough, I’m not good enough to be a fan. Or they assume that I like manga (because that’s a girly thing apparently – I don’t actually) and only play games like the Sims or Bejewelled, or I bought my PS3 so I can watch blu-ray DVDs (?!). It’s all quite strange and uncomfortable.

Of course not everyone is like this. I have a colleague who is quite pleased that I like comics and like him, much prefer the DC universe to Marvel. My local comic book store has also been very welcoming although it discomforts me a little that the owner only hires females to tend the store and refers to them as the <comic store> girls. The girls though, are quite knowledgeable, so maybe he just can’t find males of similar caliber to man the store.

I’m not sure why people find it so fascinating that girls may like the same things as guys, so much so that they have to write long essays about fangirl invasions. Sure, I like romantic comedies and clothes shopping. But I also like watching fight scenes and playing RPGs. And I know I’m not the only one. Online, there are tons of girls who enjoy reading superhero comics and/or playing WOW. And it’s been going on for years and yet, everyone acts like its some strange phenomena.

On that geeky note, I am so pleased with my new Order of the Stick bag that just arrived.

On another geeky note, I wonder what I would need to play Diablo 3. I need to ensure that the laptop I want to get can play it. I can’t seem to find it online. Bah. Ooh! Found it. Hope it’s accurate!

On a less geeky note, yay Arsenal! Boo Man Utd (who clearly cheated to win).

Apr 18 2009

Of Comics and Feminism

I’ve been a female all my life and I’ve always taken gender equality, at least in Singapore, as a given. I never really questioned this before. In fact, I have always been more concerned with racial equality.

Then I started really reading comics and getting involved in the comic scene online. One of the first comic blogs I read was the Occasional Superheroine and from there I learnt about When Fangirls Attack. The latter especially was an eye-opener. Through the various links all around the blogosphere, I learnt a lot about feminist issues through comics, issues I had never even thought about. I may not agree with everything I read but I am very thankful for the ideas I have been exposed to. I rather form my own opinions after thinking about these issues than be railroaded into values imposed on me by society.

So if anyone tells you comics have no educational value, tell them to stuff it.

This is also probably why you might find a bit more gender issues stuff on my blog. I simply never noticed them before.

Mar 18 2009

Random Pop Culture Ramblings

I tape Law and Order every Monday (all varieties) so I can watch them at my leisure throughout the week. It’s easy to watch and fairly entertaining plus I enjoy procedural dramas. Interspersed between my show are advertisements for Crusoe. In fact, in any advertisement block, I would see at least two ads promoting Crusoe. And the more I see them, the more I wonder what kind of show this is.

In the first place, I have no idea why the island is overrun with visitors. Surely if everyone is jaunting off to the island for a little R&R and some treasure hunting, someone can get Mr Crusoe off it? I suppose, perhaps, they all hate him or have no space for him on their cramp little ships.

Secondly, it seems that Mr Crusoe has a way with his hands, what with all the fancy gadgets he builds. Again, why is he not building a ship? Why spend his time building ziplines? Ok ok. I know that you need more than a ship to get off an island – a compass maybe – but I don’t see him trying very hard to get off the island.

Thirdly, why do all the pirates look like Captain Jack Sparrow?

And last of all, how come his man-pal, Friday can speak so many languages?

Of course, all this is based on my limited experience with the show. I’ve not seen an episode at all. I could be completely wrong and there are perfectly good reasons for everything that happens (or does not happen) on the show.

In other news, it seems that one of the screenwriters of Watchmen has written an open letter imploring people to watch the film again.

All this time, you’ve been waiting for a director who was going to hit you in the face with this story. To just crack you in the jaw, and then bend you over the pool table with this story. With its utterly raw view of the darkest sides of human nature, expressed through its masks of action and beauty and twisted good intentions. Like a fry-basket full of hot grease in the face. Like the Comedian on the Grassy Knoll. I know, I know…

You say you don’t like it. You say you’ve got issues. I get it.

And yet… You’ll be thinking about this film, down the road. It’ll nag at you. How it was rough and beautiful. How it went where it wanted to go, and you just hung on. How it was thoughtful and hateful and bleak and hilarious. And for Jackie Earle Haley.

Trust me. You’ll come back, eventually. Just like Sally.

Apparently, I really want to be tortured, violated and so on. And I would come back for more. I don’t know how to point out how disturbing this is. Does he think that Sally really wanted to be raped deep down inside? And that is why she returned for more?

Well, I hate dark shows and dark heroes. I also hate, hate, hate Rorschach. It’s not cool to be twisted or to be violent no matter what the reason. Dark, disturbed people should not be heroes. They aren’t doing good because it is the right thing to do. They are doing it because they think it would cleanse their past. And when did darkness become such a great thing anyway?

I don’t like how all these “darkness” is all the rage nowadays. In all honesty, the open letter is just another reason I would not watch Watchmen again.

To end this long post on a positive note, I adore my new PSP! I can watch movies on it and yesterday, it made my journey home from Orchard such a pleasant experience. So yay to my PSP! And I will conquer FFT eventually. Doesn’t matter that I didn’t manage it years ago on the PS. I’ll do it on my PSP!

Mar 8 2009

Thoughts about Watchmen

To be honest, although I do read the funny books, I was never all that keen on watching Watchmen. First off, I have not read it, despite JK lending me his copy and it lying around in my house for months. Secondly, all the hype was a little scary and off-putting. Lastly, I knew it wasn’t going to be a happy show.

Still, I suppose how can one not watch Watchmen? So I went along with JK and friends to catch a midnight screening of the movie. Do note that I was having the flu and not enough rest, so that may have affected my view of the movie.

Strangely enough, I feel somewhat meh about the whole movie. I don’t dislike it nor do I like it all that much. When I like a movie, I have a tendency to watch it multiple times. I’m not watching Watchmen again. Yet, I don’t feel strongly enough about it to say I disliked it.

Hmm … there might be spoilers below.

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